Film Syllabus

1. Film Syllabus Film as Literature 2014-2015

2. Ms. Christensen • Teacher Extraordinaire • North Park University • Basketball Coach • The Oldest – younger brother and sister

3. Amundsen Vision Amundsen High School is THE school of choice for our neighborhood families due to its excellent student achievement results and competitive academic and extracurricular programs, offered in a 21st century facility. Teaching to ensure growth and achievement is the core principle of all instruction. AHS graduates embrace intercultural respect and possess the needed skills to be leaders in their communities and in a global setting. Finally, every AHS graduate will be Accountable, Honorable, and Scholarly.

4. Amundsen School Mission Our mission is to provide every Amundsen student with: a 21st Century rigorous and relevant education, which prepares them for success in their post-secondary academic endeavors and careers; authentic learning experiences that develop their ability to be life-long, independent thinkers and learners, equipped with comprehensive literacy skills in mathematics, languages, arts, sciences, and technology; and, a foundation for understanding a variety of cultural perspectives and service-oriented mindset.

5. School Rules • At all times, students must follow the dress code and visibly wear their IDs. • Students will arrive to class on time, bring all materials, and be ready to learn. • Any student in the hallway during class time must have a pass. A student without a pass will be escorted back to his/her scheduled room. • Cell phones and other electronics are only permitted during the passing periods and during lunch, unless specifically allowed by the teacher for educational purposes. • Students will respond promptly and politely to requests from any adult in the building.

6. Class Expectations • Accountable • Honorable • Scholarly

7. Accountable • Be on time • Complete all work • Come to class • Be responsible for YOUR work…if you are absent, you need to find out what you missed and get it done.

8. Honorable • RESPECT everyone in this room. • Know everyone’s name.

9. Scholarly • TRY every task • Turn in all of your work. • Ask questions

10. The Class • Film as Literature. • Textual Evidence, Genres, Themes, Quote Analysis… We use skills from your English classes and apply them to films. • Essays Essays Essays • Assessments Assessments Assessments • Articles Articles Articles with Annotations!!!!

11. Grading Scale • Scale • 90-100 = A • 80- 89 = B • 70- 79 = C • 60- 69 = D • 59 and Below = F • Categories • Participation • Assessments • Essays • Class Work

12. Live Tweets • Each day we view something, you must turn in AT LEAST five “tweets” • WHILE watching the movie, write a reaction, comment, question, connection, or prediction to what we are watching • Filed under participation

13. TARDIES!!!! • I hate them. Especially in this class. • If you are tardy, you automatically lose AT LEAST half of your points for the day. Those points are taken from your tweets. • You miss what you miss. You are still responsible for completing whatever that day’s tasks are ON TIME. (i.e. assessments, tweets, in class activities, notes, scenes…) • If there is a movie showing, come in through the back door. Be extremely quiet and DO NOT disturb anyone. Immediately go to your desk and begin work.

14. Absences • AUX = Automatic zero for that day. No make up. That includes assessments. Work due that day will automatically drop one letter. • AEX = You may make up that work. Time frame and completion are YOUR responsibility. • Absent the day before an assessment? Still MUST take assessment on the same day. • Make Up assessments are no longer accepted once I have passed back the graded work.

15. Attendance • Attendance is KEY to this class. • You cannot pass assessments and essays if you did not watch the movie. • I will never chase after you for work. • You will always have extra time to complete an assessment, unless you need extra time because of a tardy or AUX. • Everything is on the website in terms of handouts and notes.

16. Cell Phones • If I see them out, you lose your points for the entire day. • If there are NO cell phone issues in the first few weeks, I will allow you to listen to music during your assessments • If, at any point, you are doing other things on your phone, the whole class will lose the privilege. • You will earn a 0 on the assessment

17. Food/Drink • You can have your drinks in here. The moment someone spills something or leaves a piece of trash behind, they will no longer be allowed. You will only be allowed BOTTLED water. • Please eat your breakfast somewhere else. In this room there have been: ants, cockroaches, centipedes…etc. GROSS. We SHARE this room. • I’m not your mama, and I have NO interest in cleaning up after you.

18. Permission Slips • CANNOT watch movies until they are signed. • Alternate writing assignments will be given until signed. • 20 pts tomorrow • 15 pts on Thursday • 10 pts on Friday • 5 points after that.

19. Quarter 1 • Week 1: Prep • Pre-Test Writing • Introduce Skills and Tweets • Week 2- 6: Genre Unit • Comedy, Action, Drama, Science-Fiction, Musicals, Crime, Western • Week 7-10: Director Study • Focus on one specific director

20. Question 1 • What is your favorite movie? WHY? • Min 3 sentence answer

21. Question 2 • What is the WORST movie you have ever seen? Why? • Minimum 3 sentence answer

22. Question 3 • What makes a movie good? • Minimum 3 sentence answer

23. Question 4 • What makes a movie bad? • Explain with a minimum of 3 sentences

24. Question 5 • What is your favorite book? WHY? • Min 3 sentence answer.

25. Question 6 • In general, do you think that most movies do a good job portraying books? • Explain in 3 sentences. • What is an example of a good one? Why? • What is an example of a bad one? Why?